A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
by KeepsAwayTheNargles
Summary: Take a look into one of the boring lectures given by Professor Binns, because we all know how that goes. The lecture is about Hogwarts Houses and the history of it's relics.


AN: Written for the Hogwarts Classes category Competition! Its just a drabble. Also cited from the Harry Potter Wiki page on some parts, but paraphrased.

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"Each founder of the age, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin had at least one family heirloom from which has been past down for centuries.

The cup was a creation of Helga Hufflepuff's, with gold wrought iron handles and a badger engraved on the surface which was evidence enough to know It was a relic of the house. The cup was said to possess magical properties, but the nature of the powers are still unknown today. Hufflepuff's were good with food related charms and house elf accommodations, so the cup may have been the first Hogwarts utensil to transfer food from the kitchens to the tables. The cup remained with Hufflepuff until Helga's death. The last known person to have seen the cup was said to be Hepzibah Smith.

Hermione raised her hand In the air, "But sir, what time period is this in? How long after Helga's death until Hepzibah had the cup?"

Professor Binns who never expected anyone to ask questions jumped at Hermione and clutched his chest, even though he was already dead. "Most say she had the cup last in 1946."

"Salazar Slytherin's Locket however was a heavy, gold locket with a green serpentine S on the front. The locket was said to have sinister powers, but none that we know of and are probably just myths. After descending down the line it came into the possession of the gaunt family. The first to have it was Marvolo Gaunt, but later on the meek sister Merope Gaunt had stolen it. We are not sure what Merope did with the locket, but later on down the line we do know that the very same Hepzibah Smith bought the locket. She had kept it until her dying day just like the cup.

The next house relic, we have here in the castle known as the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. The sword was Goblin made with pure silver and inset with rubies, the stone that is most associated with Gryffindor. The name of Godric Gryffindor is engraved on the sword just below the hilt. The sword was made to Gryffindor's specification by Ragnuk The First, king of it was finished, Ragnuk coveted it so much that he pretended Gryffindor had stolen it from him and sent minions to steal it back; however, Gryffindor bewitched the minions rather than killing them, and sent them back to Ragnuk to deliver the messages that if Ragnuk ever tries to steal from Gryffindor again, the latter would unsheathe the sword against all the goblins.

Luna spoke up quietly, "Sir, If Gryffindor had unsheathed the sword against all of the Goblins, what would It have done?"

Again did Professor Binns jump at the interrupter,"No one knows Miss Lovegood. Rowena Ravenclaw had a house relic called the Ravenclaw's Diadem. A diadem is a type of tiara and this one was encrusted with blue sapphires and etch upon the surface is a famous quote 'Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure.' It is said that the diadem had wonderful magical properties, that whomever should wear it would have great intelligence.

Rowena Ravenclaw was said to have charmed the diadem herself as she was a very smart woman. Rowena Ravenclaw had a daughter Helena, who became very jealous of her mother's attention and so she stole the diadem. After this Rowena became very ill and despite her daughter's betrayal, wanted to see her one last time so she sent The Baron to fetch her. The Baron found Helena but was met with such refusal to go back to her ill mother, The Baron stabbed her and then horrified with what he had done stabbed himself. This is everything we know about the Ravenclaw's history and still to this day the last person to have had possession of the diadem was Helena."

Professor Binns took a moment to write something on the board.

"Last but not least a creation of all four founders, The Sorting Hat. The hat is a sentient artifact that decides which house a student belongs in by assessing their personality. During the opening banquet at the beginning of each school year, the first-year students are lined up and their names read aloud alphabetically. Each then takes a seat on a stool and the hat is placed on her or his head. The hat is battered and old; it's patched, frayed, and extremely dirty. The Sorting Hat was sewn roughly one thousand years ago and was merely a normal hat belonging to Godric Gryffindor. When Gryffindor, along with Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, wondered how they would continue to sort the students when the four were dead, Gryffindor pulled his hat off of his head and, with the other founders, enchanted it with brains and some amount of personality. The Sorting Hat, was able to Sort and divide the students into the Hogwarts Houses, and continued to do so for a millennium, being owned by each Headmaster and Headmistress. It does so at the beginning of the start-of-term feast, when it is placed on a stool in front of the Great Hall.

In order to speak and sing, a tear along the brim opens like a mouth. It speaks inside of the hat with a small, quiet voice to the wearer and it can use Legilimency to interpret their thoughts and respond to them. The Sorting Hat usually stays in Professor Dumbledore's office until needed. After a moment of consideration, the hat announces its choice aloud for all to hear, and the student joins the selected house. A Hatstall is when the Sorting Hat takes exceptional time for it to decided where the wearer belongs.

Professor Binns floated to his chalkboard and wrote 'two 12" inch scrolls on the history and possessions of houses. You will find more in your A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot."


End file.
